Police To Increase Patrols In Holiday Park

July 24, 1985|By Jonathon King, Staff Writer

FORT LAUDERDALE — Motivated by an unprecedented siege by burglars in their Holiday Park/ Victoria Park neighborhood, 250 residents turned out for an emergency meeting with city and police officials Tuesday night to map plans to take back their turf from criminals.

``We are not here out of fear or frustration,`` said Karen Neubeiser, the area`s civic association president. ``We are here because we`re mad as hell and aren`t going to take it anymore.``

Police statistics show that the number of burglaries in the area jumped from 19 in May to 32 in June. Another 14 break-ins have been reported in July. Police say those figures are the highest of any sector in the city.

``It`s an unprecedented number for an area like this,`` said Police Department spokesman Ott Cefkin.

Prominent residents of the area include Mayor Robert Dressler and Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz. Both men, along with Police Chief Ron Cochran and police Capt. Wayne Bolden, addressed the audience during the two- hour meeting at the East Sunrise Regional Library.

``The point is not to just throw up our hands in frustration, but to work together as a community to remedy the problem,`` Dressler said. ``Your involvement does make a difference.``

The plea for resident participation was voiced several times during the meeting, and Cochran said the help of residents was to be a major component of his department`s battle plan.

``What we`re saying is that we want your help. The Police Department cannot do the job themselves without citizen participation,`` Cochran said. ``What you need to do is take back your turf.``

Bolden said that the department will begin a month-long ``directed patrol action plan`` in the neighborhood, which goes east from Federal Highway to the canals west of Victoria Park Road and is bounded by Broward Boulevard on the south to Sunrise Boulevard on the north.

The plan will include increased patrols and active cooperation with park rangers.

``What we are going to institute here is a good old type program of professional harassment,`` Bolden said.

``We`re going to be stopping people and courteously asking them why they`re in the neighborhood. And they`d better have a good reason,`` Bolden said to thunderous applause.

Organizers of the meeting said they were heartened by the large turnout and the signatures of more than 60 residents who volunteered to help develop a neighborhood alert program.

``If we can get residents to talk to each other, meet each other, know something about each other and care, then we can become a neighborhood again,`` Neubeiser said.